Tool holder



April 25, 1967 3,315,816

R. E. MALLORY TOOL HOLDER Filed Nov. 21, 1966 iv /114711114! VIII/4 INVENTOR Russell E. Mallory MW M ,4 3mm ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,315,816 TOOL HOLDER Russell E. Mallory, 1667 Linden Ave., North Tonawanda, N.Y. 14120 Filed Nov. 21, 1966, Ser. No. 595,685 2 Claims. (Cl. 21160) This invention relates to a tool support for small hand tools, and more particularly it relates to a bracket that may be mounted on a perforated board, such as a perforated board to support small tools.

Heretofore, tool holders have been made principally from sheet metal having perforations therein which are received by and held in locking engagement with a perforated board. The upper lug of such brackets is usually returned upwardly so that it will lie behind the perforated board and hold the bracket in close position therewith. The lower lugs which fit in and are received by a corresponding lower opening in the perforated board are usually so constructed that they will expand after being received by the opening. Such expandable lower lugs are disclosed and claimed in United States Patents No. 2,498,- 623 and 3,193,231. When such an expanding device is used it is necessary to either remove the perforated board from the wall to compress the expanding device or to exert enough force thereon to cause the expanding device to be released by the perforated board.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a tool holder which may be mounted on a perforated board having lower lugs thereon which are not expandable.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a series of tool holders which are adapted to be mounted on a perforated board and held in position thereon by means of an upper lug which is returned upwardly after projecting through the board and a lower lug which projects downwardly in such a manner as to contact the inner surface of the opening in the perforated board.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a tool support for hand tools adapted to be mounted on a perforated board unitarily molded from a thermo-plastic material of medium to high rigidity and good shape retention characteristics.

The various features of novelty which characterize this invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming part of this specification. For a better understanding of the invention, however, its advantages, and specific objects obtained with its use, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which have been illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the hammer holder.

FIGURE 2 is a top view of the device shown in FIG- URE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a front view of the device shown in FIG- URE 1.

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view on line 44 of FIG- URE 2.

FIGURE 5 is a top view of a device similar to FIG- URE 2 but made to hold a series of crescent Wrenches.

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view on line 66 of FIG- URE 5.

A perforated board 10 having openings 11, 11 therein arranged in equally spaced parallel rows is used to support various devices, a holder for hammers, for example, as shown in FIGURE 1, and comprises a bracket 12 having the end panels 13 and 14 thereon. These end panels are unitarily molded with a front panel 15 having the upper portion returned rearwardly so as to form a return surface 16. This return surface is so molded as to form the depending openings 17, 17 defined by the return surface 16. These openings 17, 17 are of such a size as to receive a hammer 18, as shown in FIGURE 4. The openings 17, 17 may be graduated in size so that large and small hammers may be received therein and held in position on said perforated board. The end panel 13 and 14 have the upper lugs 20 unitarily molded thereon. This upper lug has an upwardly projecting portion 21 on the upper end thereof. The lug 20 is molded on to the marginal portion of the end panel 14 so that it projects upwardly about 15 degrees from the normal. A lower lug 23 projects outwardly from the marginal portion of the end panel 14 and is so molded that it projects downwardly at approximately 15 degrees from the normal. This lower lug 23 is made about 0.010 inch smaller than the hole it is desired to be received in.

The hammer holder referred to above has the return surface of substantial depth to supply the necessary rigidity and strength when unitarily molded in conjunction with the depending front panel 15. This hammer holder is shown in FIGURES 1 to 4.

FIGURES 5 and 6 have the return surface 24 extending rearwardly as far as the marginal surface of the end panels 25, 26 and the central panel 30, which panels are constructed in the manner similar to that of end panels 13 and 14, shown in FIGURES 1 to 4 inclusive. Openings 27, 27 extend downwardly from the return surface 24 and open through the bottom portion of the front panel 28. These openings 27, 27 may be made in graduated size, as shown in FIGURE 5 to receive crescent wrenches of graduated sizes and the panels 25, 26 and 30 have the same mounting lugs 21 and 23 thereon that are described with reference to FIGURES 1 to 4 inclusive.

While in the above description a hammer holder and a crescent wrench holder have been described, it is apparent that other tool holders can be molded from the same thermo-plastic material, to produce a eries of small tool holders for screw drivers, wood chisels, folding rules, etc. Each tool in any one family would therefore be readily and instantly available for use.

In mounting a fixture, similar to that shown in FIG- URE 4, on the perforated board 10 the upper lug 20 is inserted through a desired hole 11 in the perforated board. The upper projecting portion 21 of the lug 20 fits snugly behind the perforated board 10, when the bracket is rotated in a downward position and the lug 23 is received in and held by an appropriate opening in the perforated board. This lug fits the openings and projects downwardly bringing a force to bear between the lugs 20 and 23 against the perforated board. When it is desired to remove the bracket from the perforated board the bottom portion is pulled outwardly, releasing the lug 23 and the bracket is rotated upwardly until the lug 20 and its upstanding portion 21 is released by the opening 11 of the perforated board.

In use, the tool holding brackets, referred to above, allow immediate visual determination of the availability of any of the tools held thereon in any one holder and as is probably more important, a missing tool is conspicuous by its absence.

Unlike the devices now in use, the lower lug 23 does not depend on an expansion principle to hold it in position and does not snap over the back of the perforated board to retain the bracket in position. The off-set from normal of the upper and lower lugs brings a force to bear acros the perforated board that will retain the bracket in position.

While in accordance with the provisions of the statute, the best forms of embodiment of this invention now known have been illustrated and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes may be made in the forms of the apparatus disclosed, without departing from the spirit of this invention, as set forth in the appended claims; and in some cases certain features of this invention may be used to advantage without a corresponding use of other features.

I claim:

1. A tool support for hand tools, adapted to be mounted on a perforated board, comprising a one piece unitarily molded bracket with vertical end flanges, a front panel, an upper horizontal flange above said front panel projecting rearwardly and having recesses formed therein to receive and hold hand tools, each of said end panels being provided at its upper extremity with a lug adapted to project through an opening in a perforated board, said lug having the extremity thereof projecting upwardly so as to be brought into contact with the rear surface of said perforated board when said bracket is in contact with the outer surface of said perforated board, said end panel being provided at an appropriate distance below said upper lug with a lower lug, said lower lug projecting downwardly from the marginal surface of the said end panel 1 and adapted to be received in and held by a second opening in said perforated board.

2. A tool support as claimed in claim 1 wherein said bracket is molded from a medium to high impact strength thermoplastic material.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,371,433 3/1945 Davis 211-60 2,528,358 10/1950 Gross 248-251 2,577,988 12/1951 Wirth 21160 2,903,138 9/1959 Brown 2l160 2,913,210 11/1959 Tichnor 248223 2,974,804 3/1961 Maro 21160 CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Primary Examiner.

CHANCELLOR E. HARRIS, Examiner. 

1. A TOOL SUPPORT FOR HAND TOOLS ADAPTED TO BE MOUNTED ON A PERFORATED BOARD, COMPRISING A ONE PIECE UNITARILY MOLDED BRACKET WITH VERTICAL END FLANGES, A FRONT PANEL, AN UPPER HORIZONTAL FLANGE ABOVE SAID FRONT PANEL PROJECTING REARWARDLY AND HAVING RECESSES FORMED THERIN TO RECEIVE AND HOLD HAND TOOLS, EACH OF SAID END PANELS BEING PROVIDED AT ITS UPPER EXTREMITY WITH A LUG ADAPTED TO PROJECT THROUGH AN OPENING IN A PERFORATED BOARD, SAID LUG HAVING THE EXTREMITY THEREOF PROJECTING UPWARDLY SO AS TO BE BROUGHT INTO CONTACT WITH THE REAR SURFACE OF SAID PERFORATED BOARD WHEN SAID BRACKET IS IN CONTACT WITH THE OUTER SURFACE OF SAID PERFORATED BOARD, SAID END PANEL BEING PROVIDED AT AN APPROPRIATE DISTANCE BELOW SAID UP- 